^10 New PubUcations, 



fields. But in such countries as Norway and Sweden, L^land or Scot- 

 land, the objects, although still numerous, are by no means oppressively 

 or unmanageably so ; and it is no small encouragement to attempt their 

 investigation, to have the prospect of being able to frame, vrith a mode- 

 rate degree of labour, a complete fauna of a district, which can be ap- 

 pealed to as a faithful index to all the living creatures scattered over its 

 surface. 



Of all the northern countries of Europe, Sweden has been most favour- 

 ed in the number and eminence of her entomologists. Not fewer than 

 five or six Insectorum Faunee Suecicce have appeared, besides numerous 

 insulated treatises and papers referring to the same subject. Among the 

 names of her inhabitants, famous in this department of zoology, are found 

 those of Linnseus, De Geer, Gylienhal, Paykull, Thunberg, Fallen, and 

 many others of scarcely inferior note. 



The naturalist whose name has been mentioned at the commencement 

 of this notice, has selected a still more northern region as the scene of his 

 entomological labours. He has undertaken to make us acquainted with 

 the insects inhabiting the most northern country t»i Europe, — a region 

 but seldom visited by those capable of adequately describing its produc- 

 tions. The manner in which he has executed his task is deserving of high 

 approbation. He has visited the most remote and inhospitable parts of the 

 country, and availed himself of every opportunity of increasing his know- 

 ledge of its insect population. His exertions have been rewarded by the 

 discovery of multitudes of new species in almost every order ; among the 

 diptera alone he has added 572 species to the number already known ! 

 In treating of the coleoptera and orthoptera, he has judiciously abstain- 

 ed from giving lengthened descriptions, as they have already been so 

 often described in works accessible to all ; but the other tribes are treat- 

 ed with great minuteness of detail, in order to supply, so far, the want 

 of proper descriptive works relating to them. The hymenopterous and 

 dipterous portions of the work must be looked upon as a very valuable 

 contribution to natural history. Considerable light is also thrown on the 

 geographical distribution of insects in the extreme north of Europe, as 

 well as their more local distribution relatively to the altitude, tempera- 

 ture and topical character of the country. In order to shew the ascer- 

 tained extent of insect life in these high latitudes, we shall state the num- 

 bers of the different orders contained in M. Zetterstedt's work ; and for 

 the purpose of comparison annex the amount of the same orders as they 

 occur in Britain. 



